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Chapter 1: What are President Trump's latest statements on Russia and Ukraine?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Hours after he threatened Russia with sanctions and tariffs until it reaches a ceasefire with Ukraine, President Trump says he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war.
I believe him. I believe him. I think we're doing very well with Russia. But right now they're bombing the hell out of Ukraine. I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants security guarantees. He says Putin has reneged on peace commitments before and will do it again. During a Q&A with reporters in the Oval Office today, President Trump defended his on-again, off-again approach to tariffs. There will always be changes and adjustments, he says.
Trump's threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs targeting Canada's dairy and lumber sectors. maybe as early as today, after he announced a one-month reprieve from tariffs on certain imports. On the monthly jobs report, Trump claimed the numbers were better than the media had projected. They actually came in below analysts' expectations, but the job gains in February were still strong.
NPR's Scott Horsley has more.
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Chapter 2: How is the U.S. economy performing according to the latest jobs report?
U.S. employers added 151,000 jobs in February, slightly more than the month before. Job gains were tallied in health care, construction, and manufacturing. Bars and restaurants cut workers during the month, and so did the federal government. The unemployment rate inched up in February to 4.1 percent, even as the overall workforce shrank.
Chapter 3: How have wages changed in the past year?
Average wages last month were up 4 percent from a year ago, which is likely more than enough to outpace inflation. Wages have been climbing faster than prices for nearly two years now. That boosts workers' real buying power and helps to support consumer spending, which is the biggest driver of the U.S. economy. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced plans for every adult male to receive military training in response to Europe's changing security situation. Esme Nicholson reports Poland is increasingly anxious about Russia without U.S. support for Ukraine.
Chapter 4: What is Poland's response to the changing security situation in Europe?
Speaking to lawmakers in Poland's lower house of parliament, Tusk said his government aims to introduce military training for all adult men by the end of this year to create a reserve force that can, quote, stand up to possible threats.
Situated on NATO's eastern flank, Poland already spends a higher proportion of its GDP on defence than any other member of the alliance, including the United States. As concerns grow about Russian ambitions to move further westwards, Warsaw is considering enshrining defence spending of at least 4% of GDP into the constitution. For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin.
US stocks are trading higher this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 167 points at last check at 42,746. This is NPR News. French police say they have moved an unexploded World War II-era bomb into a hole and disposal experts destroyed its fuse. Authorities in Paris say the half-ton British-made bomb could have caused major damage had it exploded.
It was dug up overnight near train tracks north of Paris during maintenance work. Its discovery prompted officials to shut down transportation systems that affected hundreds of thousands of people, both rail travelers and motorists. Tens of thousands of worshippers prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem today to mark the first Friday prayers of Ramadan this year.
That's despite restrictions Israel had placed on Palestinians leaving the occupied West Bank to pray. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more.
Ahead of the prayers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that only Muslim men over the age of 55 and women over 50, as well as children under 12, would be allowed. All needed to obtain a special permit and undergo screening in order to leave the West Bank and enter Israel.
The restrictions, which Israel says are for security and were similar to last year's during Ramadan, caused long waits and traffic at the main Israeli checkpoints for Palestinians. Still, according to Palestinian authorities, nearly 100,000 people attended Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
Israel said it had deployed thousands of police across Jerusalem to allow for freedom to worship safely. There were no serious incidents reported. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.
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